Eames' shirts
by LottaCharlene
Summary: Eames does not - contrary to popular belief - wear his paisley shirts in private. Whenever he isn't on a job, he wears jeans and a t-shirt like everybody else. But Eames wouldn't be Eames, if he would wear simple plain tees, would he?


**See the end of work for notes and shirt links! Enjoy :)**

* * *

It's the first job after almost thirteen months since the Fischer job. Cobb still isn't back to the business – not yet – so it's just Ariadne, Yusuf and Arthur. Eames is called in last-minute, because it's always good to have some back-up and Eames has done a really impressive demonstration of his skills formulating the plan how to incept Fischer. Ariadne has finished her studies a couple of weeks ago and she has been dying to dreamshare again. Of course she hasn't hesitated as Arthur had called her.

Right now she looks through some of Arthur's notes for her, when Arthur asks from behind the laptop: "Ariadne, could you please pick Eames up from the airport? Yusuf and me want to try this new compound."

"Sure", she nodded. "Can I get your car?"

Arthur just throws the keys at her, a slight smile on his lips. "Don't crash it. I'm quite attached to it."

She grins in return and dashes out of the little shop, which they'd chosen as their makeshift office this time.

Ariadne is quite familiar with the streets of Strasbourg, but driving Arthur's Lamborghini is something different. She's still on adrenaline as she waits in the arrival hall for Eames. That's probably the reason, why she's not annoyed by the Asian family discussing something very excitedly right behind her, while pushing their suitcase trolley into her heels. And maybe that's the reason, why she's more surprised than embarrassed as Eames finally appears.

Eames looks a bit tired, but he smiles genuinely as soon as he's spotted her. He walks over, a travel bag in one hand, a jacket in the other. There are no baggy trousers or the typical paisley shirt. Instead Eames is wearing a pretty normal outfit: a pair of dark jeans (with a tear under the right knee) and a grey t-shirt. But the print, however, is so _Eames_.

"'I may not be perfect, but parts of me are pretty awesome'?", reads Ariadne aloud and laughs, before hugging Eames.

"You can't say, it isn't true", grins Eames back and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Good to see ya, doll."

* * *

The preparation for the job goes pretty smooth. Eames is wearing his awful paisley shirts again and Ariadne wonders, if he just does it to annoy Arthur. At some point Arthur sends Eames off to go and study their mark to learn his routines, and to get some time to work in peaceful silence.

In the morning, Eames comes in wearing again some jeans and a t-shirt. Ariadne thinks it suits him much better than his other clothes, because it makes him look younger – boyish even – and a lot more attractive.

Arthur looks at him as Eames lets out a cheery "Good morning!" to everyone in the shop.

"I'm halfway gone, darling. I just forgot my note-book."

Arthur still stares at him, so Ariadne inspects Eames' shirt closer. What looked like the MTV-symbol is in fact the letters WTF, but in style of the original symbol. She chuckles.

"Eames", comes Arthur's forced calm voice. "What in hell are you wearing?"

Eames only shrugs and looks totally uneffected. "I try to blend in when studying my marks. Cya later, Arthur!" He winks and goes.

Ariadne chuckles some more, until Arthur gives her his deadly glare and she promptly fells silent.

* * *

It's Sunday and they've been working on this job for sixteen days in a row now. After getting complains from Eames, Ariadne _and Yusuf_, Arthur agrees to take a day off. Ariadne suggests going to the cinema, which Eames thinks is an excellent idea, because this ensures that no one is working despite being off. He gives Arthur a meaningful glare to which Arthur responds with an eye roll.

They meet early afternoon in front of the cinema. The only movie they can agree on is 'The Dark Knight'. It's not the kind of movie Ariadne would watch, but Yusuf seems pretty excited. He tells Ariadne everything about the comics and the characters, and she tries to look a little bit interested at least. Eventually she spots Arthur and Eames coming around a corner. Of course they're bickering about something, but stop when they're in earshot. Ariadne just hears Arthur sigh: "You look like a groupie."

Eames smiles and Ariadne grins. Eames is wearing a batman-shirt.

* * *

The job runs smoothly one week later. They extract the needed information, send it to their employer and get quite some money in return. Not that anyone of them needed it after the Fischer job, but it's nice to have anyway.

They all head to Paris, because Ariadne wants to throw her graduation party for them. Cobb comes around with the kids and it's really nice to have the old team back together. Actually Ariadne has planned to organise the whole party alone, but Cobb insists to help. So Ariadne ends up with Eames and a shopping list for alcohol and other stuff she forgot to buy, while Yusuf cooks Kenyan style dinner, Cobb and his kids bake brownies (and turn the kitchen into a war zone, no doubt), and Arthur decorates the table and other things.

Ariadne and Eames queue at the cashier to pay for all the beer and wine and soft drinks (and the bottle of Champagne on which Eames has insisted).

"Where exactly do you find your shirts?", asks Ariadne curiously, because Eames wears another one that fits so perfectly well to his persona as a con-man.

Eames gives her an amused look. "Like it?"

And this is the exact moment, where the pesky boy in front of them finally decides to open the Coke bottle, which he had been shaking for the last two minutes. A brown, sugary fountain pours all over Eames. Ariadne shrieks and jumps into the shelf with the magazines to safe herself. The mother of the boy screams and rants and raves and apologizes, but that doesn't change the fact that Eames is soaking wet with Coke, looking utterly surprised.

As soon as the shock is fading, Ariadne is bursting with laughter, because the letters on Eames' shirt say: 'no pictures please'.

* * *

"Where's Eames?", asks Arthur as he helps Ariadne bringing the shopping upstairs.

"At the hotel, getting changed. He got a Coke shower", she said with a smirk. "Don't ask."

Arthur doesn't and as soon as they enter Ariadne's apartment, Eames is – at least for a while – forgotten.

"Wow, this smells awesome!"

"We made cookies!", screams Phillipa and then runs after James into the living room, squealing happily. Cobb smiles apologetically.

"Come into the living room", says Arthur at her side and tugs her at her elbow.

Followed by Cobb and Yusuf (who' wearing _her_ apron!) she walks curious but also a bit cautious into the room and stops dead in her tracks. Her jaw drops to the floor and she can't say anything. The room is decorated with balloons and a banner saying 'Congratulations!' in at least twelve different languages and on the table lies a pile of presents.

"Guys", she whispers, absolutely amazed. " You shouldn't … you hadn't to …"

Cobb puts an arm around her. "You deserve it. You did an excellent job."

Eames returns, as Ariadne is halfway through the pile. He comes over and plants a kiss on her head, shoving something in the pocket of her jeans.

"Use it wisely", he murmurs, and louder he says: "Well done, pet! I'm proud of you."

He smiles with real fondness and she smiles back. Her fingers trace over the little container in her pocket and suddenly she narrows her eyes in suspicion at Eames' fresh shirt. One man wolf pack. The movie 'Hangover' flashes past her mind's eye.

"What …?", she starts, but Eames looks absolutely innocent and turns as Arthur says in his commanding voice: "Get the Champagne, Mr Eames!"

* * *

It was a couple of months later, that Ariadne sees one of them again. She enjoys an ice cream and the sunshine in Sydney's Hyde Park, as she suddenly spots a very familiar figure. Arthur's standing at a street corner in front of a fancy building, which is probably a bank, hands in the pockets of his pair of grey chinos, his black shirt flattering lightly in the warm breeze. Ariadne is halfway over to him, but then the doors of the bank open and Eames walks out. Ariadne can tell that this is a private meeting since Eames is wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a greyish blue t-shirt.

Ariadne squints until she can read the print on the shirt. And almost drops the ice cream. 'Property of Arthur' is written in black, capital letters all over Eames' chest.

They're walking away, not knowing that Ariadne watches them just a stone's throw away. Arthur says something that makes Eames laugh, while he's entwining his fingers with Arthur's. Arthur doesn't pull away, instead walks even closer to him.

This time, a fat drop of ice cream hits the ground.

* * *

**notes: If you wish to have a closer look at the shirts described, feel free to use those links :) The last one is my absolute favorite!**

**I may not be perfect:**

** not_perfect_t_shirts-r68b3e21c5a5c4ad8bb65ecb3682 53dbc_f0ybj_ **

**What the f*:**

** . **

**Batman:**

**No pictures please:**

**One man wolf pack:**

** /images/I/41Ze3n-W5vL._SX342_.jpg**

**Property of Arthur:**

** . **


End file.
